State servants are facing increasing political scrutiny as some push for a seat in Parliament while hanging on to their day jobs.

The Families Commission faced accusations of “politicisation” from Opposition MPs yesterday after one of its commissioners was spotted supposedly campaigning with Prime Minister John Key.

During a parliamentary select committee hearing yesterday, Labour MP Rajen Prasad, himself a former chief families commissioner, said current commissioner Parmjeet Parmar was pushing for a spot on the National Party list and was already campaigning.

He said he had seen her with Key wearing a blue party rosette at the Pasifika Festival in Auckland during the weekend.

Parmar is a Government appointee, not a state servant. And the irony of the accusation coming from Dr Prasad who became a Labour MP in the same year as he was Chief Families Commissioner!

She said another staff member was intending to run as candidate for Labour, which he had declared to the commission. They had already discussed with him how to separate his political activities from his work.

Labour’s view is that it is only wrong for people at the Families Commission to stand for Parliament, if it is not for Labour!

The staff member who is a Labour candidate is Rob McCann, who is the White Ribbon Campaign Manager at the Families Commission. He’s not just wearing the odd rosette – he’s personally attacking Government Ministers on his Facebook page:

“Good to see Labour tackling what has been such an intrusive and yet secretive government. Odd how Key is happy to spy on us, yet call in the police over a teapot tape.”

“Excellent day fundraising with the Waikanae Branch of the Labour Party. All proceeds going towards giving John Key a permanent holiday in Hawaii.”

But worse of all, he is promoting a graphic attacking the very Minister in charge of the Families Commission:

I’m all for public servants being able to stand for Parliament. Tim Groser did so. But I’ve never before seen a public servant promoting graphics personally attacking the Minister in charge of the body that employs them. I suggest Mr McCann views the recent SSC video!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2014 at 10:00 am and is filed under NZ Politics.
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68 Responses to “Labour only against state servants not standing for Labour!”

Just shows the depths lefties will sink, in order to implement policies of envy against those of the successful right. To think we have just rid our company of a piece of left-wing shit that was leaking information to a competitor, and it cost us money to see the mongrel go. We now want to totally vet employees, so have a total disclosure policy, for both future and current.

She underestimated her involvement, lied by omission when caught, lied again, dropped the PM in it nicely, and generally acted in her normal arrogant manner. But don’t worry, they will all be kissing her gigantic ego and butt again by next week.

“So what’s the story with Collins then? Haven’t caught up on that one.”

Really. You must be incredibly insulated from all sources of news and comment – or you are simply a small-minded troll. Collins received a severe reprimand and is on a last warning according to all reports.

Question

Is it possible for this bod’s employer to have trust and confidence that this bod will implement government policy as bound by his employment agreement?

Far from John Key or Judith Collins being “gone by lunchtime”, I would suggest that well before lunchtime today Mr McCann will have been given a “pull your head in” from his bosses. And he could have no complaint if records of his internet use during work time were accessed; he has clearly abused rules over private activities during work time.

Yes, it does look like a designer coat – she has worked hard with her career and now has the income to be able to afford such things.

I wonder if she will now pay back the tax payer for the money she was given whilst a student, that has allowed her to get into such a position. Most students who have to use a student loan are required to pay back for the assistance they received, those that manipulate the welfare system and later do well, like Ms Bennett, appear to get a free ride as such.

What an unpleasant and sinister stench of misogyny from a man supposedly leading a campaign against domestic violence. It doesn’t stop him making a nasty personal attack on a woman – and in work time. It is a bit like those paedophile priests preaching about caring for kiddies.

We are never going to progress as a country as long as the Left keep themselves entrenched and embedded in all our public services, using them for their own cynical political purposes.

Yes Judith she has worked hard hasn,’t she. Good on her. And now that Collins is lying low she’ll be able to avoid all those nasty jibes from her colleague about her dress sense. Double bonus. Prey tell, how has she manipulated the system?

Sorry we appear to have our ‘ladies’ (and I use that term very loosely) muddled up.

I was referring to Ms Bennett, and the fact she was on welfare, and used every available dollar she could get her hands on through the system at the time (none of which she has paid back) to enable her to study for the qualifications that (along with hard work) have got her where she is today.

And no, she has not paid it back. Whilst she has had to pay back tax, just like everyone else, unlike everyone else who has to borrow student loans to get such an education (more so now that Ms Bennett has closed many of the ‘doors’ she used) they have to pay both taxes and loan repayments once they get employment.

ex-g, Tat only occurred to me after I had made my comment. but still (unless like me you are the boss) using an employers time to do personal stuff like post extensively on face book would be in breach of his obligations in the employer relationship.

“She said another staff member was intending to run as candidate for Labour, which he had declared to the commission. They had already discussed with him how to separate his political activities from his work.”

I wonder what she said to him:

Political comments on Facebook are okay.
Nasty pictures and comments about women MPs are okay – personal attacks have nothing to do with domestic violence against women.
Doing political posts in work time is okay.
Attacking the government is okay.
Being disloyal to your employers is okay.
Attacking govrenment policy is okay.
Using your paid job as your financial basis for your political campaigns is okay.

Perhaps the CEO needs to front up about McCann. This guy after all is on the paid staff and is abusing both his position and his paid work time.

Good for Paula. What a splendid Minister she has been and a superb role model to women struggling to get themselves and their children off benefits and into a better lfe.
She knows from her own experience how important it is to have both sticks and carrots to motivate people and has had the courage to make decisions that the Left will always howl about as they hate so much to see people improving themselves without their social engineering.
Only the very small-minded or rabid Lefty could possibly sneer at her and what she has achieved.

I agree with Manolo – why do we have the families commission again? It would be nice to see John Key invests just a little bit of political capital to get rid of just some of the government departments and commissions that are a waste of tax payers money!

Perhaps reflect on your comments in this thread, go have a cup of tea, and grow up. Also imagine your reaction if a male National Party member made such comments about the lovely Ms Bennett or, more to the point, a woman on the left.

It amazes me the amount of lefties who cry racism, sexism and any other ism they can think of, then turn around and behave in the same way if the target isn’t on their team.

Once you get beyond Joe and Jane six pack who vote Grebour; the rest of them are likely pond scum. As for another Quango hunt, it will require National to have a coalition partner who is interested in the issue.

“….I agree with Manolo – why do we have the families commission again?…’

Yep…..spend millions of dollars on them and they can’t even tell us if Marriage is better over all for children than other relationships.

fucken pathetic. No one is saying we should make Marriage compulsary – but rather what should be advocated by government as to what is the best enviroment for children. ‘loving’ is not an answer after millioms of dollars have been spent.

If departments, commissions, and quongos can’t make decisions – then they should be de-commissioned.

Personally the issue of marriage or not doesn’t worry me much, but I would like to see ‘parenting’ made compulsory.

Simply loving a child is not enough, parenting them is what they need.
From what I see of many today, there are parents that think once the shag is over, that’s it, job done. And then there are Parents who think that being their child’s friend is more important than actually being a parent.

Parenting – it used to come naturally, now it looks like it needs to be taught and enforced.

“Must worry them? Almost this entire blog site has comments to steer the right in the ‘right’ direction and you think the left is desperate and worried?”

The number of off-topic comments trying to deflect away from the post and on to the Collins question???? Yes, it does look like the lefties are worried, if this is all they have.

Suggestion, try the Collins post or General Debate to try and get your “big hit” there (oh no, Collins had a glass of milk – the horror. But I guess you have to go with everything you’ve got, don’t you. And if that is only a glass of milk…). Instead of following minor mistakes as if they were the end of the world (when a righty does it, of course. Anything is OK when the left does it), how about getting Cunliffe to come up with some logical policies (that are actually costed this time) and tell him to stop using the back of the beer coasters at the BackBencher for his policy planning. It’s making him look like an incompetent idiot.

ross
The State Services Commission publishes helpful guidance for the political conduct of public servants and summarise it as ‘State servants must keep their jobs out of their politics and their politics out of their jobs’. McCann goes very close to the line with his attacks on the Minister responsible for the agency that employs him. I think his employer will be having a chat with him about the relationship between employment responsibilities and the freedom to exercise civil rights.

I am constantly amused at how ferel people can be here.
My comment of 10.57am is pure fact. No speculation or personal opinion.
Yet 4 people see fit to down vote.
I couldn’t care less but it amazes me that peoole can’t even handle simple facts being pointed out.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the National Party and am very right of centre.
But I am not so blind as to think everything the right does is perfect.

Suggestion, try the Collins post or General Debate to try and get your “big hit” there (oh no, Collins had a glass of milk – the horror.

But One track why do we have post after post about Labour but nothing about Collins? Being a news following individual I really want to know what the juiciest latest is. I thoug I’d come here. But nadda. They call this a right leaning blog – sheesh – there are no posts about the right at all. Look at the graphic on the lefthand side. The word ‘Labour’ is twice as big as the word ‘National’. You’d almost think Mes. Farrar was scared of my mentioning it.

Sorry we appear to have our ‘ladies’ (and I use that term very loosely) muddled up.

Oh no one and the same Judith I was just commenting on how Collins won’t have an opportunity to chastise Bennett for her choice of coats in the the near future. You know how she likes to comment on other’s attire ‘n’ all.

So, it’s lead story on NZH at the moment. I thought these ‘blog’ things were supposed to be ahead of the mainstream media. Apparently not but don’t worry – you’ve bought it to the blogster’s attention by getting the most down votes today on the story we should have heard about. Congratulations.

Suggestion, try the Collins post or General Debate to try and get your “big hit” there (oh no, Collins had a glass of milk – the horror.

But One track why do we have post after post about Labour but nothing about Collins?

Good question; but does your noble quest for balance extend to ensuring Dim Post, the Standard and Frogblog also curate an equal number of posts critical of their respective politically aligned parties? Because if not, you’re guilty of the same astroturfing.

Gosh, how the public service has changed….. might be time to bring back the old Public Service Code of Conduct, then a public servant would realise that it is their duty to carry out the policies of their minister.

“Obligations to Government
Public servants are obliged to serve the aims and objectives of the Minister. Public servants should ensure that their personal interests or activities do not interfere with, or appear to interfere with, this obligation.”

Good question; but does your noble quest for balance extend to ensuring

What is my noble quest? I’m not entirely sure, really. So, I thought to myself – what about that nice chap Slater? Him and Collins are great mates – being so close to the source I’m sure he’s got some updates for me.

But, wadda ya know? I mean there’s stuff all about it there, either. Well, no actually there is. There’s one post basically entitled “Labour are hypocrites” because, presumably, when fingers are pointed at you you must point back and then there’s another post diminshing the whole thing to a glass of milk. It came off as a glass half full type piece.

Darn. No luck there on the juice either.

So, then, a little contemplation. And, I guess, I came to the realisation that my noble quest was to point out that if you only read what you read, then you’ll only know what you know. If you only look in the mirror, well… …you’ll go cross-eyed, for starters. If you only stroke your own ego, well… …you’ll get cramp in your flexor tendons after 24 hours. Please remember that next time you spout Slater’s magnificance over the MSM.

“… if you only read what you read, then you’ll only know what you know. If you only look in the mirror, well… …you’ll go cross-eyed, for starters. If you only stroke your own ego, well… …you’ll get cramp in your flexor tendons after 24 hours. Please remember that next time …”

You mean next time I am watching (most) MPs in the Labour Party, and Len Brown? Yes, you have described them to a “T”.

Itstricky, that was a very tricky response. Perhaps you can tell us where the post about Cunliffe’s trust appears on the Standard, especially given mickeysavage’s involvement. but we now know you won’t, being content to point out ‘missing’ posts on right wing blogs only like the lefty troll you are choosing to be.